Update: we’re in the middle of refactoring; vitamins vs painkillers
One of my least favorite words is refactoring. I know it’s necessary to clean up the internals every so often, but a more optimal way would be just to design it right the first time. : )
OK, I’m kidding. It’s not always possible to do that.
I was just reading an excellent old post by Dan Dodge, called Is your product a vitamin or a painkiller?
To sum up, some products are painkillers - you need them to solve a pain point. Others are vitamins, nice to have, but ultimately, not necessary. Triggers are events that make a potential customer feel the pain to have your product. Sometimes, external events can turn vitamins into painkillers. Dan gives the example of Sarbanes-Oxley and compliance software.
So the question for us is, what pain points are we solving, and, are the events on the horizon that will turn us into a guaranteed painkiller?
Of course, we need to finish refactoring first before any of you can see what we’re thinking about!